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Curated by Project Syndicate

The Middle East Exchange

56 commentaries

In the face of regional turmoil, exacerbated by the rise of the Islamic State, many Arab governments are embracing a new solution-oriented agenda – focused on economic diversification, improved education systems, and private-sector-led growth – to stimulate reform and development. In “The Middle East Exchange” Project Syndicate, in partnership with Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, provides a unique global platform to help frame and stimulate regional and global debate on the vital development issues shaping Arab societies.

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  4. palacio101_Artur Debat Getty Images_earthspaceshadow Artur Debat/Getty Images

    Europe on a Geopolitical Fault Line

    Ana Palacio

    China has begun to build a parallel international order, centered on itself. If the European Union aids in its construction – even just by positioning itself on the fault line between China and the United States – it risks toppling key pillars of its own edifice and, eventually, collapsing altogether.

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  5. rajan59_Drew AngererGetty Images_trumpplanewinterice Drew Angerer/Getty Images

    Is Economic Winter Coming?

    Raghuram G. Rajan

    Now that the old rules governing macroeconomic cycles no longer seem to apply, it remains to be seen what might cause the next recession in the United States. But if recent history is our guide, the biggest threat stems not from the US Federal Reserve or any one sector of the economy, but rather from the White House.

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  7. eichengreen134_Ryan PyleCorbis via Getty Images_chinamanbuildinghallway Ryan Pyle/Corbis via Getty Images

    Will China Confront a Revolution of Rising Expectations?

    Barry Eichengreen

    Amid much discussion of the challenges facing the Chinese economy, the line-up of usual suspects typically excludes the most worrying scenario of all: popular unrest. While skeptics would contend that widespread protest against the regime and its policies is unlikely, events elsewhere suggest that China is not immune.

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  8. GettyImages-1185850541 Scott Peterson/Getty Images

    Power to the People?

    Aryeh Neier

    From Beirut to Hong Kong to Santiago, governments are eager to bring an end to mass demonstrations. But, in the absence of greater institutional responsiveness to popular grievances and demands, people are unlikely to stay home.

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